…there’s no right way! As long as you’re holding the hook in a way that allows you to crochet comfortably, then that’s the right way for you! There are two very popular ways to hold a hook: the pencil hold and the knife hold: named because the holds resemble how you would hold other items. The Pencil Hold The pencil hold is the name for the method of holding your hook like you would hold your pencil. In this method, the hook rest…
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Crafts in Vietnam
…e silk embroidery. Tran Gia Huy: 66 Ton Duc Tang, Dong Da, Hanoi. Website: www.theuviettv.com/ Showroom for fine silk embroidery. Sewing If you’d like a tailor-made garment sewn for you, then Vietnam is your place. Particularly in cities like Hoi An, you can find a tailor that will custom-make clothing to your specifications in under 24 hours. For the crafter, there are ample supplies of fabric and notions in local markets (particularly in H…
Continue ReadingIndie Yarnie: Space Cadet Creations
…adetcreations.com, on Ravelry as SpaceCadetCreates, my Rav group is http://www.ravelry.com/groups/spacecadet-creations, and I tweet constantly as @SpaceCadetCreat. Thank you so much for joining us, Stephanie! And thank you so much, readers, for joining day one of Indie Yarnie Week! Each day this week, I’ll be interviewing a fabulous independent dyer or spinner. Trust me, you won’t want to miss a single day! On the schedule for tomorrow…
Continue ReadingIs a premium shipping service right for you? Review of Endicia.
…ay be a line of address that’s ‘unusual’) aren’t always accepted. I’ve always been able to weasel the software into accepting a format eventually, but it sometimes means swapping two lines of an address. For the package, that may mean a slower delivery time because the address is in an altered format. Summary For me, it’s totally worth the $10 a month. I’ve saved a lot of time at the post office. However,…
Continue ReadingPlush Week: Homemade Zen
…ve anywhere, I think I might want to live in a sailboat and travel around the world :-) Where can we find you? Etsy: http://www.homemadezen.etsy.com Blog: http://www.homemadezenshop.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/homemadezen Twitter: http://twitter.com/homemadezen Thank you so much, Celia! And thanks, everyone, for reading. Join us tomorrow for the final day of Plush Week!…
Continue ReadingFree downloadable tags for your amigurumi!
…ollection! Making some amigurumi? You’ll want to download these adorable tags! I designed these tags specifically for your cutie stuffed animals… and even included a few tips for display! Once you download and print the tags, you’ll want to fill out the tag with all the crucial info. Check out my example: The tag easily folds in half… and is ready to adorn your cutie! Enjoy!…
Continue Reading5 crucial considerations when starting your craft business
…th successful crochet designers, but that podcast revealed that we run our companies completely differently. Mary Beth is heavily involved in magazine publishing and LYS distribution, while I focus more on self-publishing on my website. Who’s right? Both of us. Our businesses are shaped by our experience and strengths, as well as our goals and constraints in our personal lives. We’re both happy. Yay! When you’re planning to start…
Continue ReadingPattern sales, by the numbers
…eak down, pattern by pattern. I’ll also show you how downloads of my free patterns compare to pattern purchases. How do the patterns sell? I have over 200 designs, but the top 10 patterns account for nearly 1/2 of my sales! This isn’t completely surprising, since some of my designs are ‘niche’ animals that I don’t expect everyone to want. After all, I adore Martin the Snail, but snails are my favorite animals… a…
Continue ReadingHow Hiring a Handyman is like Buying a Crochet Pattern
…rn? I’m not saying that all free patterns are bad. In fact, many big companies use free patterns as a form of advertising, so they spend big bucks to publish quality patterns to give away to their customers. But there are a lot of patterns that someone threw up on their blog or Ravelry. How do you know the pattern is correct? How do you know that you won’t be pulling your hair out halfway through because they instructions are terrible?…
Continue ReadingStrategies for Improving Customer Engagement
…teaching events in October?) Multiple customer emails (ranging from quick questions to ones that are very complicated and require photos/lengthy explanations) Oy! I’m tired just thinking about it! And did I mention that I also have an uncle that sends multiple bad jokes a day? Have you ever whipped off a quick email that sounded irritable on a second reading? Or run out of time in the day to answer with the lengthy reply the question deserv…
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